Game-board



(No'moael.) l l K L. HASKELL.

l GAMB BOARD. No.` 602,179A A I Patented Apr. 12, 1898. 7T/'' 1. M u v Y DISK Nirnn STATES- PATENT Fries.

HENRY L. HASKELL, OF LUDINGTON, MICHIGAN.

GAIVI E-BO'ARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 602,179,dated April 12, 1898.

App1iaso1inednpri12,1895. Seraing. 585,354. (Nomads.)

To @ZZ whom it may con/cern:

Beit known that I, HENRY L. I-IAsKELL, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Ludington, in the county of Mason and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and 'useful Improvements in Game-Boards; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to game-boards of the class in which disks are propelled across the face of the board.

The object of the invention is to provide a game demanding peculiar Vskill and enabling the application of caroms and bank shots and combinations which are not possible in the ordinary disk games calling only for straight shots or requiringonly accurate direct aim.

The invention consists of a game-board having pockets, base-line, central-spot inclosurc, and disks of wood or other suitable material adapted to rest upon or to be impelled across the board, and particularly of a corner for the board, devices for attaching a pocket to the corner, and in other details,l hereinafter pointed out in the claims.

Figure l is a perspective view of the board, illust-rating the game. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section through one of the corners of the board. Fig. 3 vis a longitudinal section through a corner at a point below the plane of the face of the board, showing also a wire fastening of a different form from that of Fig. 2 lying inv its securing-groove. Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the felt pocket -in place. Fig. 5 is partly a plan and partly a vertical section of the recessed and curved corner. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the disk used in the game. Fig. 7 is a vertical section of the disk.

The game-board has a dat board or face A, secured to a band or rim B preferably by entering grooves in the rim, the rim extending above and belouT the plane of the face A, so as to confine the disks and provide onthe obverse a boundary to which a cushion may be attached and on the reverse a support or standard to hold the board, so that the function of the pockets need not -be disturbed. The rim B may be of a single piece, as shown in Fig. 1, in which case the corners are kerfed, as at C, so that they may be sent in a curve,

or the' band may preferably be in sections and joined by a key, as shown in Figs. 2, 3,

and 4. The openings for the pockets are shown at D, and in these Vopenings are felt pockets secured to the top by a liap E and beneath the inner curve of the pocket upon a wire F. This wire may be secured at each end in any of series of holes G, Fig. 2, or may lie in a groove H in the curved corner of the board and be held to the face of the board by staples. o j

A distinctive feature of the board is the recess K, let into each of the curved corners. This recess presents a surface composed of compound curves, so that when a disk strikes the felt of the pocket the loose felt is carried into the recess, and the curve is such that the incident force deflects the disk into the bottom of the pocket from whatever direction it may come.

L indicates a felt strip or liningencircling the inner side of the baud, which acts as a cushion for the disks and materially improves the game.

The impelling-diskM and, if desired, the other disks used in this game, as illustrated in Figs. 6'and 7, is bored and counterbored on each face to reduce the weight and the friction of the disk as it. passes over the table, and yet leave a full curved surface for the blow from the finger and to make it practicable to give a strong blow without fear of hurting the finger and to impart the full force in every case.

The kerfs C (shown in Fig. l) not only enable the rail to be made in asingle piece, but also serve to receive pins for scoring in the game.

On the face of the board base-lines are marked, as shown on the drawings, and the center of the board is indicated bya distinctive mark, as by a spot, or by an inlaid section contrasting in color with the rest of the face of the board, or by any of the obvious means by which the center may be determined. On this center is placed a disk, preferably of green color, marked with a figure 5, and around this are grouped twenty-four disks, twelve White and twelve black, placed somewhat as shown in Fig. 1 The impellingdisk (shown in position on the drawings) should be of a character or color to enable it loo to be readily distinguished from any of the other disks.

It is obvious that the disks may vary widely in size, color, and other details and that the board may be modified in the specific relation of the several parts to each other without departing from the invention as essentially disclosed.

It is obvious that the rules governing the game may vary at the will of the players; but the principal object is to impel the disks grouped in the center of the board to the pockets A by the impact of the impellingdisk M, snapped from within the base-line, the aggregate disks caught within any pocket, together with the green disk marked 5, determining a players standing in the game.

The fiat felt cushion L and the pockets are arranged with especial reference to the use of disks upon a smooth surface, and the relation of the face to the rim is such that the rim serves as a margin and also a standard for the game-board, so that the pockets may not be pushed upward when the board is placed upon a table or flat surface.

The provisions usually found in billiard and pool tables I have discovered are not applicable to disks. Vhere balls are used, the cushion must be arranged so that the ball strikes above the center of gravity and is held down to the surface, the ball then rolling into the pocket without further guiding, be line of the cushion being continued in the rail that holds the pocket, so that the ball may there strike above its center. The margin of play is smaller with the necessarily small disks, and I therefore arrange the recess K with especial reference to the cushion L, the recess K extending above and below the plane of the face A and yet leaving a full surface at the top and bottom of the corner. This recess presents a surface composed of compound curves, and the recess, as shown, extends above and below the plane of the face of the board and provides a receptacle for the portion of the loose pocket driven in by the impact of the disks, so that the force of the motion is absorbed and even after a hard blow each disk will drop surely into the bottom of a pocket.

It will be observed that the recess curves inward both above and below the plane of the face of the board. This enables the usual action of the upper curve to be supplemented by the occasional action of the lower curveas, for example, when a disk might be deiected from a near part of the cushion to the lower curve of the recess, the effect being to either turn it directly into the side of the pocket or to throw it against the upper curve and then down into the pocket. Moreover,

by curving the lower part of the recess inward the corner is not weakened, as it would be if the cut were continued in oblique line outward or even in a straight line downward.

I usually make provisions on the reverse of the board for another game, and it will l;

observed that the arrangement is such th:

and cushions may be applied e the pockets chosen fc that either side of the face may be the principal game.

Having fully described my invention, wh 1 I desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. The combination of a game-board having a face, a rim projecting above the face, a

cushion on the rim, a base-line on each side' of the board extending across the board fi'orn the innermost portion of a pocket-opening to the corresponding portion of the opposite pocket-opening, and yielding pockets outside the base-line, with sets of disks adapted to be grouped about the center of the face, and a disk adapted to be snapped from a base-line to impel the other disks into the pockets either directly or by the deflecting action of the cushion, substantially as described.

2. In a game-board, the combination of a face, a rim, a cushion on the rim, a series of pockets, the corners bearing the pockets having recesses let into them in the plane of the cushion and the face, substantially as described.

3. In a gameboard the combination of a face, a series of pockets, a rim forming the outer boundary of each pocket and having a f central recess for each pocket extending above and below the plane of the face of the board and adapted to receive the impact of the playing-disk and deflect the same into the bottom of the pocket, substantially as described.

4. In a game-board the combination of a face, a rim, a series of pockets, a central recess in the rim for each pocket, curved in all directions and extending above and below the plane of the face of the board and a pocket i of felt or similar material hung loosely in front of the said recess, whereby the impact of the playing-disk may carry the loose material before it into the recess and the disk be deflected into the bottom of the pocket, substantially as described.

5. In a game-board the combination of a face, a rim projecting above and below the face, openings in the face for pockets, pockets, each secured to the top of the rim, and an adjustable wire held in the rim and securing each pocket below the face, substantially as described.

6. In a game-board the combination of a face, a rim, openings in the face for pockets, a groove in the rim for each pocket below th( face, a wire secured by each groove and enl` circling the openings, and pockets held abou'. the openings by the wires, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY L. I'IASKELL. 

